Book Reviews

Issue 30(1)

Developing Quality Dissertations in the Humanities: A Graduate Student's Guide to Achieving Excellence. (2008). Barbara E. Lovitts and Ellen L. Wert. Sterling, VA: Stylus Publications, 48pp. $7.95. ISBN 978 1 58922 260 4

Review by: Paul Amador

College of Education

Student Advisement Center

University of Nevada, Reno

Lovitts and Wert wrote Developing Quality Dissertations in the Humanities as a guide for both dissertation advisors and graduate students as they work through the dissertation writing process. The text is arranged in booklet format focusing on the intentions of the dissertation, rather than the typical procedural focus commonly found in ‘how-to’ dissertation books. This text will prove useful for new dissertation advisors and graduate students looking for very basic guidelines on the purpose, significance, and quality expectations of a dissertation.

The authors’ intentions are for the dissertation advisor and student to utilize this booklet as a guide to the expectations of writing a quality dissertation. Guidelines and expectations for this booklet were developed from a research study of current dissertation advisors in the humanities, which include English, history, and philosophy. Students are commonly instructed through their academic courses on the basic construction and format of the dissertation chapters, but are less aware of the intentions and specific expectations of the dissertation process.

The booklet has various tables integrated into the chapters and two appendices that outline the quality expectations, general writing advice, and important considerations in developing and writing the dissertation. Many of these tables include the following quality categorizations: outstanding, very good, acceptable, and unacceptable. Unfortunately the recommendations in each of these categorizations are so general that it is doubtful the advice will be very helpful for either the advisor or student. For example, in a table describing the quality of the introduction/problem statement the first recommendation for an outstanding introduction is that it is “well written” (p. 17), whereas a very good introduction is “well written but not eloquent” (p. 17). While these statements may be true, they will be difficult for an advisor or student to utilize in writing a dissertation.

Having a resource that is quick and easy to understand for both the dissertation advisor and student is a valuable tool; however, the brevity of the text severely limits its range and application. The use of tables outlining the quality and structural expectations of the dissertation seems useful on first glance, but the recommendations are so general that they may not be applicable to the very individual process and expectations of the dissertation advisor and graduate student. The dissertation process is extensive and very individual; advisors and students would be better served by looking for a more in-depth text on the dissertation writing process.